Sometimes it is just too hard to find people who are super good at everything. Cricket. Football. Everything. Rolls was one of them. She was just too good at everything and had a lot to offer to the sport. No, not just one sport but two.
Representing your country is one thing. Playing in the Football World Cup is an achievement. Playing in the Olympics for your team is even better. Now, she represented her country in the Olympics twice. Oh, that’s not it. She was a part of three cricket World Cups and played a major role in winning the 2000 World Cup. Just too good to be true, right?

In the early 90s, Football really wasn’t a thing in New Zealand. At the same time, cricket was growing in a professional sport. So, after making 11 appearances for her Football team, Rolls saw an opportunity and made the move as a wicket-keeper when she was just 21.
She debuted against Pakistan and her goalkeeping skills came into play right in her second match where she had three stumpings. Now, Pakistan wasn’t fully developed at that time. They were just starting. On the other hand, New Zealand was one of the top teams. The team saw an opportunity, scored 455 in the second ODI. While four of the top order batters got more than 70 runs, Rolls came in at the end smashed a 16-ball 32.
However, her biggest test was against Australia, a team she loved the most. She had a quick 29 to help the team in the third match of her career. She then saw a downfall in a few matches that followed and in a few more, she didn’t bat while continuing her great work behind the stumps.

Now, those days, the major role of the wicket-keeper was to guard behind the stumps and was not batting. If you can bat, it was just an added advantage.

Rolls was different. All her big knocks came when the team desperately needed it. For example, her unbeaten 84 off 68 against South Africa came when New Zealand was losing their way at 108 for 5 after a big start. In the very next innings, she had a powerful 60 while batting at number six, helping New Zealand to win against Australia. For the first three years of her career, she batted lower down the order and the year 2000 changed everything.

Of course, 2000 was special for the White Ferns. The World Cup-which happened at their home soil- was the final tournament was their legends Debbie Hockley, Catherine Campbell. They certainly deserved a big farewell for changing the New Zealand cricket.

New Zealand finished second in the points table and had to face Australia in the final. Rolls was the second top-scorer with 34 and the team made only 184 in their fifty overs. Now, for a power-packed Australian team, it was nothing. And New Zealand needed a miracle.

Maybe, the prayers from the good crowd helped New Zealand to bounce back. They dismissed Knightley and Rolton early. Both the players were in an outstanding form in the World Cup. However, that wasn’t enough considering the batting order of Australia. Clark, who had a shaky tournament found her form at the right time and was taking Australia to yet another World Cup victory until she was 91. She attempted to sweep a delivery that on every other day, she would have responded with a drive. Fate, one may call it. Right after her dismissal, Australia tumbled and the run-rate kept increasing.

Fitzpatrick’s dismissal had a controversy. She played and missed a delivery that clipped the leg bail. But the bail did not fall until the ball reached the keeper. Was it the air? Was it the ball? No one knew. After a long look, the umpires gave the decision in favour of the home team.

A match that Australia should have won convincingly came down to the final over where New Zealand needed a wicket to win and Australia needed five off six runs. They had Mason on strike. She can play a few good strokes. Can she now?

New Zealand had fielders in the right position but the point fielder was standing a bit behind. Mason would have thought of picking up singles through delicate touch. Nicholson runs to bowl her final over. She was the reason for Australia’s collapse, thanks to her delivery to Clark. Nicholson was inviting Mason to play off-side. She bowls a good length delivery right between the fourth and fifth stump. It is a tricky one to drive as well as to cut. It is not as quick as Mason would have expected. Now, she is already halfway through the shot. She was trying to slice. A thick edge. Rolls, who was squatting, was slowly getting up. She was on the move. It seemed like she was expecting it and her quick reflex helped her to hold on to the catch.

It wasn’t easy but World Cups don’t come easy. That was it. New Zealand lifted the World Cup and what a fine tribute.

2004 witnessed Rolls playing her only Test match. Oh, 2004 also marked the debut of T20 international cricket. New Zealand took on England in the very first match. Rolls made 32-ball 39 and helped the team to win by 9 runs. She was the player of the match for her performance, making her the first-ever player to win a PoM in the T20Is.

Her first ODI hundred came against Australia where she ended up in the losing side. You got to blame Rolton’s 105* for that. Oh, her second hundred also came against Australia. This time, she helped New Zealand to chase down 261 with her unbeaten 104 off just 87 deliveries. Now, imagine playing against a top team like Australia and scoring 18 boundaries and a six. This ton certainly was one of the best ever knocks and what makes it even more special for me is that it came at Chennai. After the series, she called it a day.

Four years later, in 2011, Rolls saw the New Zealand football team playing an exciting match. She cannot keep quiet. Obvious. Duh.

She began to practice and a year later, she made it into the football squad. She was in the Olympics team. Later, in the 2015 World Cup and once again in the Olympics team. She did it all when she was around forty. She called it a day later in 2016-2017.
Of course, her fitness comes from police training. Did I mention that she also was a part of Police squad for more than a decade and a half?
She solved some of the famous cases and was a part of the Auckland drug squad.
She turns 45 today and I’m pretty sure that she can still make a comeback in the cricket team. I wish.

-She was the first woman to score 2000 ODI runs and help in 100 dismissals
-She was only the second NZ player after Hockley to play in 100 Women’s ODIs